I'm still waiting on Ashton Kutcher to jump out.
"You just got PUNK'D, BITCH!"

 

My want meter is pointing towards do not.

 

I actually I kinda like it. Don't think I'd buy it, but I like it.

 

At least they did not F up the inside.

 

Once again Money makes all things possible.... except for taste. There have been some ridiculous one-off Ferraris over the years for middle east clients. So this is nothing new.

 

$1.2M/$1.3M was the number mentioned on the stand today; accuracy TBD.

Took shots of the VIN and build plates on door frame. If of interest to anyone, let me know.

 

Thank God it's a one off!! Wouldn't want any more of these around.

 

does it fly?

 

Is it Leno's? Looks like his turbine car + McLaren + fetal alcohol syndrome.

 

So I am going to buck the trend here of saying it is awful and instead suggest that I love it. Qualifying that statement, I will admit that if I had the same amount of money available that was spent on this car and the same opportunity to do something great like this with McLaren, the X-1 would certainly not be the result I would have come up with - that part is true. What I do love about it is that one person had a dream of a car they wanted built and McLaren, with their 'never say no' attitude was able and willing to execute on it, despite the fact that it isn't traditionally something you would expect to see from them.

I spent a lot of time with the X-1 this afternoon and the execution of every detail is quite exquisite. This doesn't look like a one-off car and the three years McLaren have spent working on it with the owner to bring this dream to reality have produced a finished product that gives no indication of its status as a customized vehicle based on another car. This thing is immaculately well built and I honestly think that if you were able to see it in person you might prefer it a bit more to the impression from only seeing it in photographs.

Almost no one is doing bespoke one-offs any longer which is a real shame. There were a flurry of them produced for the Brunei Royal Family in the 1990s - many of which have hardly been seen - and there have been a couple other private efforts like P4/5 for Jim G. This used to be standard practice in the automotive industry and it produced cars that are some of the most desirable you will find at auctions and concours around the world present day. Government regulations around the world just make it far to costly and complicated.

They even went so far as to perform crash testing on the car to ensure there would be no limitations on safety with the changes that were made. For that reason and many others I can assure you that the price quoted here was far too low - really not even close to the cost that went into producing the X-1.

Lastly, if you have not been swayed at all by anything I have said here, perhaps you could consider it some conciliation that the profit generated from McLaren building this will help the brand to build more of the cars we do want to see from McLaren. The P12 supercar will be unveiled at Paris in September and I expect a much different reaction to that car than this one.

>8^)
ER